Running a business is really hard.
What they don’t tell you is that it can cause severe stress and anxiety, and can drain us mentally to the point of depression. This is in even the most laid back of people.
People will talk about you, compare you to others, use you; they will view you as a service and not a person anymore.
Friends and family will expect discounts and people will value you and your hard work less than a big chain store.
You have to worry about if you forget to email/message someone back. Are they going to think it was on purpose? Did you disappoint them? Will they hold that against you? In reality, you just can’t get to everyone’s messages and emails.
Starting up and running a successful business puts incredible strain on personal lives and relationships, many of which fail because there is often just no work/life balance.
You need to be the director, the worker, the admin, the marketing team, the accountant, the cleaner… all whilst being a parent, a husband or a wife, family support, friend… It’s one of the hardest things you will try and balance.
There’s a reason you don’t see many people succeed in small businesses after five years. If they are successful, they are overwhelmed. It takes a toll. It’s freaking exhausting. Especially over the past couple of years, when so much has been out of our control.
Here’s a small reminder that we are just normal people with hectic lives. Be kind, be patient, support small businesses…and hopefully more of us will stick around!